(I already let the A to Z challenge get out of hand, but I’m also working on Script Frenzy so hopefully that buys me some leniency. I’m going to go ahead and jump back in today with my “F” post and I’ll get C – E filled in as I can.)

This post was supposed to come after several deep and meaningful posts about my life and my challenges, so that it wouldn’t appear to shallow.

Oh well.

The THINGS that I love say something about me, and that’s worthy of examination. I’ve been going through a “decluttering” process over the last year or so, and it has been eye-opening and has taken a tremendous weight off of my shoulders. Some parts were easy, for example the living room and dining room had nice furniture that matched and it was easy to get the extraneous junk out of the way. But some of that junk ended up in the corners of the house, with a junk room upstairs and a junk room downstairs as well as simply too much clutter in other places.

A big part of decluttering is identifying the THINGS in your life that bring you pleasure.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” ~William Morris

As a person who has difficulty letting things go, I recognize that this is hard for me. One thing I truly find beautiful is my Fiestaware dishes, and they have the added benefit of being amazingly useful.

Setting the table with dishes I really love is something that makes me both happy and satisfied. I have a mixture of colors and all different kinds of pieces that I have collected over the past 10 years. I feel like they not only represent who I am as a person, they give my family a message of brightness and joy every day.

As I finish up my decluttering, I hope I can come to a similar place with all of my other possessions. If I can pick up an item and describe how I use it and how it makes my life richer to have it, then it’s a good thing to keep.